Saturday, 17 March 2012

Kat vs Hummingbird Bakery: Hummingbird Cake

Leaning tower of cake

(Recipe below)

Hoorah! Time to escape the tyranny of the cupcake and dive headfirst in to the cake chapter. I’ve never been a huge fan of cake decorating so plastering one big one with icing instead of 12 fiddly small ones appeals a lot more. Eager to crack on, I piled up the ingredients in the kitchen and set to work, aided and abetted by my best friend (yes, the pregnant one I’ve vowed to shower with baked goods). Everything seemed to be going well until the first two layers came out the oven. ‘Isn’t it odd’ I remarked, ‘the cake in the book looks so much darker than mine, I wonder what could….f*$%, I’ve forgotten the blimming cinnamon’ (or words to that effect). Best mate remarked she had thought the mixture was lacking a spice when she tried it, before helpfully going on to suggest I buy a third cake tin to fit all my mixture in. I quickly rescued the situation by stirring some in the last layer and shoving it in the oven and it actually came out quite well.

I commenced icing (after an Apprentice intermission) and stood back to proudly observe my masterpiece before realising it had taken on somewhat of a tilt. I gave it a furtive shove, which improved the situation slightly, but there’s no denying it was a bit wonky. It was also absolutely massive. Not as big as Geoff the fudge cake (that’s another story, I’ll just say when you use 2 packets of butter to ice a cake you aren’t messing around), but still a giant. Serves 10 – elephants? Flatty matey happened to be baking as well, a giant blueberry ring cake. Between us we’d enough calories on the table to sink a supermodel. The following morning I tried to weigh myself to see what effect all this bowl licking was having but mercifully the scales were broken; a situation I need to remedy before complete denial sets in. As it is the act of carrying said cake to work for the Easter Baazar has given me a very strange pain in the top of my bottom.

Anyway, all the cake sold out within half an hour (yes I was one of the customers – it’s all for charity!). I absolutely love it, it’s moist and sweet with enough fruit in to make it one of your 5 a day. Kat says – bake it today!

Kitchen wisdom gained:

More concentrating, less gossiping/watching the Apprentice when baking ensures you don’t miss out ingredients entirely.

Don't bully your workmates into buying your cake as yuo will be compared to 'the Mafia'.

Domestic Goddess score out of 10: 7 – While this is a darn tasty cake, leaving out a key ingredient is an automatic points deduction, such a rookie mistake! (-2). Leaning tower of cake effect (-1).